It's a Metaphor You See
by YushiNat
Summary: College AU. We all have our troubles... and college has its own brand of them.
1. Blerb

(AU)

Twenty-one-year-old college campus president, Erwin Smith is the Nazi dream poster boy for world domination. He's got the **looks** ( _"I was like… OMG! He. Is. So. Hot! Those blue eyes and that blond hair! He's so cuuuuttteee when he smiles!_ ), the **money** ( _"He and Levi are adoptive brothers you know. You've never heard of Levi? Levi Ackerman? Are you serious?! Do you like… live under a rock? Levi Ackerman is the heir to the Ackerman Weapons Distribution Corporation! He's like… really loaded! So yeah, Erwin is too!_ ), the **brains** ( _"Erwin Smith? Mr. Smith is a good student. He has a bright future ahead of him."_ ) and the **fame** ( _They say that the president of the United States of America is his best friend and the queen of England is his bowling buddy._ ).

Eighteen-year-old Hanji Zoe, on the other hand-

Well… you are bound to figure that out.

Just remember, that this story is about her as much as it is about him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

 **Caffeine is bad for your nerves…**

* * *

When Rico Brzenska told her that in college, you'll learn to _pop_ Red Bull and chug it down with sugarless, cream-less coffee, she thought that she was joking. Hell. She thought that she was having a **good time** joking.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Good times… Rico and her weird glasses. (She is one to talk.)

But now…

Hanji Zoe is having the **high** of her life. If anyone told her two years ago that the scholarship and program she happily signed into would immediately turn her into a Methylxanthine (for that's what caffeine is) addict, she would have outright slapped them on the face and told them to go to hell. Well, she can still do that right now, considering her **extremely** frazzled atoms.

She squeezes her eyes; gripping her arms, she bumps her forehead against the glass wall of the laboratory.

Don't get her wrong, she **loved** the wakefulness and energy. **Loved** it. That was, before the withdrawal started kicking in.

Now that she's sweating profusely, shivering and suffering from extreme tachycardia, she's randomly cursing all of the coffee plantations all over the world to lose sales and close off.

"Ms. Zoe? Are you okay? We're going out for coffee break. Would you like me to buy you the usual? Straight black?" says the timid voice behind her.

She must be really frazzled to have thought of strangling Armin after he uttered the word "coffee". I mean, what manner of monstrosity would push a man (or a woman) to feel negative about Armin Arlert. He **is** Armin Arlert you know- blond hair, blue eyes and an over-all curious rabbit personality.

Hanji double takes.

And instead of yelling at the boy to "Eff off", she murmurs a toned down, "No thanks."

Armin blinks. _Must be her girl's day…_ He shrugs then walks away, leaving the brunette all alone in the huge-ass (not his words) laboratory.

"Fuck…" comes with her dreaded headache. It's as if a million destruction-happy wildebeests decided that it's okay to stampede on her head. She's never drinking coffee again. Screw you Starbucks.

Making up her mind to get over the whole thing fast (with a gallon of extremely helpful universal solvent- water), she detaches her plastered self from the laboratory wall. Hanji smooths her three-week-unlaundered lab gown and dribbles her fingers against her temples. She stops for a while to push up her cranium, the pressure-inducing eyeglasses.

She drags herself to the water dispenser five meters away from her. Too short a distance, right? But to the headache-suffering Hanji, it's a million miles away.

Everything is going quite well. She managed to fill a paper cup with the liquid, with her shaking hands (without spills, mind you).

Everything is fine until a random fellow lab mate, whose name Hanji cannot honestly recall, barged In with the shrillest scream the poor suffering four-eyes has ever heard. It's a harpy- no! A vulture! A crappy bird of prey out for revenge because she just cursed the coffee plantations of the world!

The screaming stops.

But when Hanji meets her eyes after a shaky sip from her precious water, the girl has the gall to squeal like a butchered pig. (Now, Hanji is really craving for blood. Hers specifically…)

The girl, odd enough, stops once more… only to do that annoying huffing and puffing of air that can only be mastered by women who had undergone the extremely painful process of childbirth.

"What is wrong with you?"

Yes. Hanji is in a bad mood. We've already established that. The girl, on the other hand…

"He. Is. Heading. Here!"

"Uh… whut?" Now Hanji is thoroughly confused. "Who?"

"Erwin. Smiiittthhh... they say he's joining us from now on!"

Erwin Smith… now that name sounds familiar. Who is he again? Maybe he is a celebrity? I mean… the girl **should** be screaming for a reason. What better reason than an extremely attractive, extremely, popular and extremely mainstream celebrity?

The girl (I am not going to name this insignificant side character as she is not going to show up in the later chapters anymore.) gapes at Hanji's confused expression. It couldn't be… Someone like _her_ actually exists? Someone who doesn't know Erwin Smith?! What atrocity is this?

"Y-you… you don't know him?"

"No."

"T-tell me… tell me that you know Levi Ackerman!" the girl enunciates the question carefully, as if her sanity depends on Hanji's answer.

Hm… Levi Ackerman? "No."

The girl's mouth drops lower. (If that is possible.) "Where have you been hiding in your past two years here in the Uni? Under a rock?!"

 _I don't even know you… and yet we've been working in this same lab for the past two years._ Hanji pushes the snarky response away. Instead, she offers the girl a broad grin and a (hopefully) normal laugh. "Well…"

From her peripheral vision, the glass door swings open. It's a good enough save from the stupidity that she was breaths away from spouting.

Hanji directs her full attention to the opened glass door and to the person who opened it, hoping that the overly enthusiastic girl would do the same too. She regrets this soon enough. Because the moment the girl looked at the person who opened the door, she fainted from lack of oxygen. She (stupidly and dramatically) held her breath.

Hanji has never encountered something like that all her life. She is not really sure what she's going to do with the fainted girl's body. Should she call the infirmary?

"Um…" the person, or the man, who opened the door looks at the fainted girl on the floor. He's thoroughly confused… well, not quite. He's used to girls (or women) fainting at the sight of him. Most of them forget how to breathe around him. "Shouldn't you call the infirmary? Your friend has fainted…"

The brunette in glasses looks at him coolly. _Peculiar…_ There's not a sign of being smitten on her face. She regards him with an easy expression and a tone that gives the illusion of normalcy on her reply. "She's not my friend… I don't even know her name. Besides weren't you the reason she fainted? You're the one who should call the infirmary."

 _That is new._

He smirks, pulling out his cellphone to make a quick call to the infirmary.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 **Movie Nights Can Have a Significant Effect on Your Outlook in Life**

* * *

Just last night, Erwin Smith was forced to put up with Isabel Magnolia's (Levi's self-proclaimed sister by soul) passing penchant for cliché high school flicks. They were having a typical movie night at Farlan's. (He swears he's never going next time.)

He still couldn't understand why almost everyone in the campus dreams of getting invited into one of these 'elusive, exclusive, popular kids only' (not his words) movie nights. Come on… the movies are mostly lame and they don't get to watch much even if (by some tough luck amounting to the number of red blood cells in a normal cerebrospinal fluid) Isabel does choose a good one.

In all his perfectness and nicety, Erwin can't find a good word to describe the movie (or maybe he's just being too judgmental?). It was probably (note… PROBABLY) about a singing basketball dude and his singing genius dudette? Yep… He's just borrowing Erd's words.

He can't quite recall the events in the flick as half-way through the evil pink girl's audition, he fell asleep. He's not shameful of his actions. He will never be.

 _That night of early sleep did benefit him though._

He smiles at the brunette after a clinic staff wheeled out the passed out girl from the laboratory.

"So", he claps his hands together. "I reckon the professor is not here…"

"The professor-in-charge…" she corrects in the most bored tone. She then turns her back from him, burying both of her hands into the pockets of her laboratory gown. "Who are you anyway?"

 _She really doesn't know me… shame._ "I am a lowly college student who is only for extra credits."

"Oh? Just… just wait for the prof… I'm just… I need a shut eye." She lets out a yawn. Picking a suspicious looking rotating office chair, that obviously doesn't look like hers, she takes off her lab gown and throws herself onto it.

Erwin dully notes the plain boring plaid button up and the ratty jeans that needs a bad washing. She probably lacks three-days-worth of bathroom time and five-days-worth of goodnight sleep. _She looks in excess of something though…_

"Coffee", he snorts.

"Shut up", she mumbles.

Erwin settles down on a plain plastic chair- the one nearest to her. "What's your name?"

She doesn't answer. Maybe she's really asleep this time? He figures out he'll just have to shut up and wait for the professor-in-charge.

Half an hour later, the other staff crowd into the lab. There's a certain degree of noise, but it is not enough to annoy a person of normal health. Obviously, the girl who is currently asleep is afflicted of something, considering her eager embrace to the possibility of 'shut eye'.

From pure impulse, the Golden Boy shushes the student staff who have just arrived.

After talking with the professor-in-charge, Erwin leaves the laboratory. But not before sneaking a glance on the spot where the girl-who-sassed him, is sleeping. She is still there.

He would have asked the good professor for her name, but he chose not to. He kind of remembered Farlan spewing something about how a girl would like it if he will be the one to do all the approaching. Not that he is interested in that slip of a girl who obviously cannot take care of herself properly.

No.

She is not his type.

Erwin likes girls who remind him of his adoptive mother, Kuchel Ackerman- one who can calmly face adversaries whilst smiling, one who can keep an elegant act without a sweat and one who can obviously look after herself and get through a day without accidentally hurting herself due to lack of attention. And that girl is anything but that. Although he has to admit, he is amused of the fact that she doesn't know him considering that he is the current student government president.

Perhaps she was hiding under a rock when the elections is taking place… _or she was too busy fiddling with laboratory instruments to even care._

* * *

"You have to fucking listen to me brat-"

"No. **You** listen to me midget. I do not care about-"

"It was not what you think it was!-"

"Excuses…"

"Ral was just-"

"Hold that shit midget. You people could be at it like bunnies for all I care. Just-"

Impeccable timing is something Erwin prides himself to have. He twists the knob of the door of his shared apartment with his famous adoptive brother.

He smirks inwardly at the sight before him.

Two _children_ with black hair pausing midway their _interesting_ conversation to see who the intruder is.

A beat later and Levi remembers the matter at hand. He lets out a frustrated sigh (one of the only intense reactions you can probably draw from him) as he rakes his locks from his forehead. Mikasa snaps out of her reverie, clearing her throat and leaning away from her older adoptive brother's face.

"Am I interrupting something?" Erwin raises one eyebrow expectantly. He knows better from experience though. He will not be able to draw some information from the two of them.

"No. I was just leaving", with perfect passivity, Mikasa walks out of the living room apartment. Her untrimmed waist-length hair is flowing freely behind her. She has become quite a beauty.

After making sure that she is already out of earshot, the blond faces his raven-haired brother. "Problem?"

A loud slamming of the door from the apartment just beside theirs. The two of them wince.

Levi gathers the stack of business, robotics and mechanical engineering books. "The brat is being difficult again."

"I heard-"

"I know you heard everything. Petra Ral came here, demanding that I do not break up with her. Of course I told her we've been fucking through for a year now."

"And..?" Erwin crosses his arms. "I reckon that did not do the trick?"

He snorts, "Of course not. Farlan is right. I do date the worst bitches in town… either that or they just turn into those from the course of dating me."

"What happened?"

"You know what fucking happened. You know how shitty Ral's game is."

"So? Tell me."

"She kissed me… straddled me. Hell. I could label it as 'rape'. Then Mikasa came in, yelling something about potatoes and shit if I can recall what it was about. But yeah, she came in to find Petra sucking my face. I was too stunned."

" _Too stunned…_ in a bad way or in a good way? Farlan standards."

"I felt fucking violated, Erwin!"

He just gives his brother a pat on the shoulder and a smile, completely ignoring the query in his mind. _How did this aggravate Mikasa?_ He detaches his hand from Levi's shoulder and makes his way to the fridge. He's parched and he's craving for beer.

Another sigh. Levi places his books back to the (probably) desecrated coffee table. "How was your first day in the lab?" He's making small talk. _Amusingly unusual…_

"I met someone."

"Oh?"

"She is… interesting."

"A girl. You'll never hear the end of this from Farlan."

"Shut up."

"My mouth is fucking sealed. Just remember what I told you about a certain four-eyed freak. Keep out of her way and you'll survive without a scathe."

"Who's it again?"

"Hange Zoe."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

 **Amidst the talk about Sigmund Freud…**

* * *

Considering that she had been EXTREMELY sick, Hange decided to take the next day off. She slept. She ate. She slept again. She felt better for waking up at exactly midnight. She spent her two hours of delightful wakefulness reading conspiracy theories in the internet.

Ah… the wonders of a wonderful campus WiFi connection. But of course all good things must come to an end.

Today is simply shimmering of boundless possibilities.

It is a good day to start and try to discover the cure for cancer, AIDS, or something…

Nope. She is not doing this out of pure goodwill nor the intention to set out and cure the world nor whatever noble bullshit people can come up with these days. She is simply overcome with curiosity. She wants to answer a lot of unanswered questions… and why not? She's got the brains.

First period is Human Psychology.

Why is she taking this course again?

But of course she had the impulse to try and understand the nature of human decisions, plot the phenomenal eternal struggle amongst our id, ego and superego, and concoct a full-proof way to manipulate a number of people into giving her funds.

Life is harsh like that…

The halls are filled with college students either in their most haggard states or their most dressed states. (The two don't actually differ much from each other. Well, save for the selected few who are perpetually pretty.) She can actually spot those who work in the lab with her. There's Armin… talking with another blonde (a girl). There's also Moblit… hesitating to go inside a lecture room. (Man, he looks… high. Coffee problems. He's even shaking.)

Hange ruffles her head, smiling crazily. She heads off to her own lecture room. Who cares if she's late? Their professor would only be later… and besides, the definition of "late" is to arrive **after** your professor had done the roll call.

She reaches to push the handle of her lecture room, only to be intercepted by a larger hand. She looks up, not minding the interception at all. She's in a good mood. Well, better than yesterday.

"It's you…"

 _Wait… who's this dude?_

She wonders and tries to remember a new acquaintance. She has never seen someone this… blond and cut. Like… cut. Not just his jaw… even his cold blue eyes can cut something. She's quite sure of that. Anyway, he looks rich and devoid of any problems like delayed scholarship or massive student loans.

"Uh… who are you?" Hange asks dumbly.

His equally cut eyebrows (is he having them thread?) meet at the center with a scowl, "You mean… you don't remember?"

"N…no..? Should I be remembering something? Did I steal anything from you? Or borrowed anything without paying..? Sorry, I'm kind of in a pinch last month. I just had to borrow from someone. Don't take this as an offense. This is kind of normal… to me at least."

 _Seriously?_

She laughs nervously, "So, who are you? It might ring a bell or something like that…"

"I don't think I've introduced myself to you…"

 _Is he serious? This sounds creepy…_ "Really?"

"I'm Erwin Smith", he holds out a hand.

Hange contemplates to take his hand for a while. _He name sounds familiar…_ "I'm-"

"Miss Zoe, Mister Smith, what are you doing outside the lecture room?"

 _Convenience…_ Erwin tries to school his annoyed expression. _Wait… did he just say Zoe? As in… Hange Zoe?_ Levi will be laughing at him. His laugh is a bit unnerving.

Their professor- a woman whose name they care not to remember because she pulls her hair from her face, in a bun, far too much that she looks like a botoxed alien who had crayons for eyebrow pencils- raises an eyebrow at them, waiting for response. At least, to Hange, it looks like she's raising an eyebrow. To Erwin, on the other hand, never mind… someone ought to remind him that not everyone can have perfect eyebrows like him.

Erwin clears his throat, choosing to go with the throat. "We were just entering the hall, professor… we got side tracked for a bit. See, this is the first time we are able to formally make acquaintance."

The botoxed alien professor nods in understanding. "Good… very good. Human interaction is really needed these tough times, especially inside this restricted hall of learing." She gives Hange a once over. "Now, do proceed inside. We really need to start."

Inside, they find out that Hange Zoe is actually sitting behind Erwin.

* * *

"Saw her today?"

Levi is sitting casually on the sofa when Erwin entered the apartment. He's naked waist up- towel around his neck and beer can in his right hand.

"… _and now for the campus sports update, we have Petra Ral. Petra?"_

This guy is the only supposed sexual harassment victim who can bear watching the face of his aggressor in TV. Well, we are talking about Levi Ackerman here-

"Tch", came with the tell-tale shift of the channel to somewhere more random like Disney or Cartoon Network.

Erwin clears his throat.

"Well?" continues the ravenette, raising the can to his lips.

"I actually did."

Levi inclines his head, urging him to go on. He pretends cluelessness and proceeds to his room. His foster brother would like to do the _girl talk_? Now this is… outright disgusting. That guy needs to come in terms with himself… either he needs a session with the nearest Psychiatrist or he needs to face his inner demons. Or get a class in Psych. Now that is something he would like to see… Levi trying to come in terms with Sigmund Freud's sexually rooted theories.

 _Most of the Psychologists and Psychiatrists would believe that animosity is just sublimated sexual tension…_

He laughs inwardly before flipping his lights on.

Briefly, Erwin wonders about their next session in Psych on Thursday- a day from now… and his extra credit work in the laboratory this 3 pm. What a drag…


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Dramatics… we put a lot of them. We enjoy them.**

* * *

Knowing the basics of the cell metabolism may not be one of the prerequisites in order to achieve a slot for lab extra credits… but Erwin Smith made it a point to know the amount of ATP yielded from a monosaccharide. After all, it is the purest form of sugar. It is the most basic.

Basic…

Now, he can clearly see where this madness came from.

If cell metabolism is the most basic- the fundamental of the fundamentals- then they are bound to be driven to craziness the further delve into science Nazi.

Currently, he is half-thanking his _traumatized_ adoptive brother for the heads up.

Hange Zoe is not someone you can trifle with lightly if you want to remain normal and pure your whole life.

The first time he saw her, she can barely form one coherent string of thought. The second time he met her, she was a lot calmer. The third time- now- he sees her, she's just plain pumped up. He can practically see the static fizz her hair up to the end. She's cackling with energy and she's got this dark humoured glint in her eyes as she doused twenty or so slides in India ink. (He doesn't know yet what test she's going to run… but he does, at least, know that the reagent bottle contains India ink.)

He continues filing the result papers in one Manila envelope.

"Erwin Smith?" the short blonde beside him asks.

Erwin hasn't been paying much attention on him, so he's quite surprised when blonde opened his mouth to speak to him.

"Yes", he answers conservatively.

"Oh… good. I'm Armin Arlert. Mikasa is my classmate in Basic European Literature. I understand you guys are siblings?"

Erwin gives the stack of envelopes one more pat before facing the shorter man completely. "Yes. She's good at class?"

"Well… Lit is not her strongest suit. Definitely not mine too." A chuckle.

He laughs a bit. Awkwardly. Silence intervenes betwixt them… they don't know each other. It's torture to talk to someone you don't even know. Erwin vaguely remembers some of the Ackerman parties.

"Extra credits?" _Armin_ asks.

"Yep", he lets the "p" pop, giving the girl on the lab table one walk space away from them another glance. "You?"

"Bio major actually. Obliged."

"Oh…"

Hange is now running the samples, pressing selections and typing on the attached PC simultaneously. The image enlarges some more, giving a queer view of white against black brick-like structures. Everything is stable and motionless- frozen in a tableau of pre-mortem event. From the manic look in her eyes, Erwin can clearly derive that the whole thing excites her. _A dead cell huh…_

"Ms. Zoe is impressive, right? She's quite passionate of her work", Armin remarks.

"She's a Bio too?"

"Yes. Though, she's more on the Research field… Bio's my pre-med."

"A doctor… I'll be sure to remember you in the future."

"Please…" he shakes his head, grinning at the older man's statement. "Anyway you look interested, Erwin. Planning to leave the council and shift to Bio?"

He snorts- so unlike him. (Levi is the one for snorting.) "Of course not." _Levi will need my help in the future. He has no patience in dealing with law gibberish. Well, he_ _ **is**_ _wrestling a triple major… with lots of extra units. Even_ _ **I**_ _know my limits. Hope he doesn't fall and die._

"Heard from the girls you're a… double major?"

"Yes."

"Smart really is the new sexy. Are you aware you have a fanbase? Well… you and your brother."

"A… fanbase?" he pales.

Levi Ackerman uncharacteristically hurls his calculations to the other side of the room. Everything doesn't make sense anymore. He can no longer make heads or tails from his own logarithms and calculations. The plan to surprise his professors and make an expansive thesis bridging robotics and mechanical engineering then robotics and business, just so he could graduate ahead of time is not pushing enough progress.

He is bothered. His brain is fuzzy and muddled… by his **own** sister.

Since Mikasa walked out of his apartment yesterday, he hasn't seen her. He hasn't talked to her- not a single call, text, tweet, tag, et cetera et cetera.

He scrubs his face.

Maybe he needs a shrink? Goodness. He sounds like Erwin since he took that damn elective. Erwin loves to psychologize everything.

Levi grunts, sparing the digital display on his Mac for the time.

It's almost six-thirty and he's still stuck on a particularly easy calculation with nothing but swimming x's in his mind. He snorts. The irony…

The door swings open.

"You're back? How was it, Eyebrows?" he glances up his hands, expecting to see the blue-eyed blonde staring impassively at him. Instead, he is welcome by the sight of his expressionless _sister_ – hands hidden in the belly pocket of her College jacket and hair partially tamed by the loose ponytail. "Mikasa..?" he stands up from the cream couch, not minding his less than glorious state. "What are you doing here?"

"Madame Kuchel has been ringing you for the past hour Levi. You really need to answer her call. She's worried."

"Oh…"

Somehow, he's a bit disappointed.

When Mikasa is just turning to go, he doesn't stop himself from calling out, "Wait."

The girl freezes in her spot.

"I… I would like to talk to you."

Discarding the last of the slides to the biohazard, Hange mentally gives herself a generous pat on the back. So far, the first phase of her experiment is a success. She still needs at least two more trials, but she wouldn't take her chances so she'll do four more.

"Busy?"

She tilts her head up. It's the guy from Psych, Erwin something… it's a familiar surname.

"Nah… just packing."

"Oh… how was it?"

"Frankly? Fascinating… I'm trying to stage a cell metabolism using an enzyme and hormone-regulated environment. It's nothing major… just a bit tweaking on the cell cycle. You know, to make the process last up to days or months. It would be good for future researches to have a ready frozen-in-time cell… will make the experiments more measurable." She's rambling, and Erwin's beginning to feel stupid. Science gibberish… "What I'm trying to do is… to try successfully arresting a cell process without mummifying it. It's actually an easy thought- an easy problem lay out. Then again… it is hard to come up with half-decent solutions."

"And..?

"Pardon?"

"How is it?"

"Are you really asking me that..?" He gets the feeling that he shouldn't have.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **The line where the sky meets the sea is called** **"** **horizon** **"** **…**

* * *

Erwin found the talk with Hanji to be extremely _educational_ \- for lack of better word. She is the type of person who can read ignorance in someone's eyes. She would occasionally pause and double take before explaining foreign jargons to Erwin.

Now, the two of them are sitting in front of one another in a 24-hour coffee shop inside the campus. Wednesdays are typically loose days for the undergrads because it's the designated university 'activity day'.

Hanji seems to be incredibly oblivious of the passing time as she yapped about one concept and another. She has brilliance written all over mucked up appearance. She loves her stuff. She knows her stuff. Her motivation could be pure interest in the subject… Erwin finds himself reflecting. What about him? Is he really interested in what he's doing? Or is he merely subjecting himself in the torture of doing what needs to be done even in the midst of his disinterest. He tries to go back to his early memories…

"So, what do you think?" the trademark manic grin is drawn across her face as she lifts her own cup of over-sweetened caffeine.

Erwin leans his weight on the fluffy back rest of the seat. He barely understood the biological gibberish, but the girl managed to make him get the gist more or less. "Pretty brilliant if you ask me."

"Shocks…" She has the gall to look embarrassed and flushed, "Not really. Anyway, I need to run back to the lab." She lifts the wrist donning a wristwatch, "incubation period is up. Thanks for the coffee."

She leaves in a flurry of white lab coat and messy brown hair. She left without paying… on purpose or not, Erwin makes up his mind that her exit is quite planned. _It has to be on purpose…_

* * *

Tuesday midnight, Levi Ackerman finds himself returning his dear mother's call. His mother is currently at the other side of planet Earth where Levi is not familiar of the time zone difference. So, he makes the gamble and preferred to call her at midnight. Knowing his mother…

After three rings…

"Levi?"

"Mother."

"It's so good to finally hear from you dear", Levi audibly swallows at the sharp edge on his mother's voice. "How nice of you to return my call…"

"Mother, I apologize. See… I was-"

"Busy with your thesis. I know… I know. Your sister told me. "

 _Sister…_ "Oh."

"Oh indeed. Anyway, your uncle would like me to tell you that this Saturday you will be accompanying him in meeting up some potential business partners."

"Do I have the right to say no?"

"Knowing your uncle… no. Now, how are you? Tell your mother how you've been doing these past days."

Despite his age, Levi is quite close to his mother. Kuchel Ackerman is an indispensable factor in her son's life. That, she quite made sure of. She has no plans of _abandoning_ the boy. Levi may very well be an adult now, but in her eyes he will forever remain as her little boy- her brilliant, intelligent boy.

"As you know, I'm trying to get my thesis don-"

"Come on dear… I tried contacting you for hours from the other side of the world and all you have to tell me are trivialities-" _Trivialities?_ "Tell me about your life. Tell me about Petra. How are the two of you doing?"

He cringes. That's right… Kuchel is unaware of their break up. How to break it to her?

"You see… Mother… well..-"

"Oh out with it." The impatience on her voice is palpable. "You broke up, right?"

He came close to spluttering. CAME CLOSE. "Mother, how did you know?"

"Farlan is not actually that good at keeping secrets… especially when he's overcome with intense emotions. He was happy that you broke up with _that dangerous, conniving, fake bitch_. His words, not mine. I, on the other hand, think that Petra was not that bad."

Levi lets out a sigh. He taps the ballpoint on the empty bond paper laid on the desk in front of him, tentatively wondering if he should start with his equations.

* * *

Wednesday morning fairs well for Levi. He does not have any class scheduled at 7:30 am, so he opted to roll around his bed rather than go out and greet his blonde roommate an unenthused 'Good morning'. Erwin, on the other hand, had to scramble out of his bed at seven and miss breakfast just so he could arrive at class on time.

He enters the classroom in his usual neat countenance and proceeds to his seat in front. He laces his fingers, mounts his head atop them and spends the next one hour and a half listening to the comforting babble on charts and trends.

The class ends just before lunch. Erwin goes straight to the laboratory for his credits. He is a bit more eager than usual… Hanji must have a hand at this.

The moment he steps into the lab, an unidentified projectile zooms just past his ear. They don't give him enough time to say proper greetings. Another unidentified projectile narrowly misses his person. He shivers. Who could be responsible for this?

 _Constant vigilance…_ he says to himself. The phrase maybe incredibly juvenile of him, but it seems fitting at the moment. _And Harry Potter is for everyone_ , his internal self snaps.

He is in the midst of debating the validity of the argument, when another projectile curves its parabola- this time, hitting him effectively at the center of his eyes just above his nose.

His body sways backwards; his head hits the tiled floor first. Before his sight and hearing fade into a dramatic blur, he sees a ponytailed brunette munching on a potato lean at the perimeter of his vision and hears her annoying chewing.


End file.
